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When James R. Bramlett of Dora, Alabama caught the fish of a
lifetime February 28, 2013 on the Black Warrior River near the Gorgas Steam
Plant, he knew the striped bass may be a state record and possibly a new world
record. Getting the fish weighed accurately was his first thought.

The closest certified scale he knew of was Sumiton Iron, a
scrap yard . The scale weighed to the
nearest pound and the weight of the fish was first recorded at 70 pounds even.

Fisheries biologist Heath Haley and his supervisor Jay
Haffner with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources both
advised Bramlett to get the fish reweighed.

That happened Tuesday, March 12 at the Centreville Post
Office. Taxidermist Jacky Scott thawed
the huge striper early Tuesday morning and met Haffner at the post office and asked postmaster Sherry
Burt if they could weigh the fish on the certified postal scale. The scale at the Centreville Post Office
measures weight to 1/10th of an ounce and are calibrated daily.

The huge striper tipped the scale for its new official weight
at 69 pounds, 9.8 oz. About a dozen people witnessed the 10 minute
process. "People oowed and ahhed as the number was announced and everyone
scrambled to get their cell phones to take pictures," Burt said.

Fisheries biologist Jay Haffner announced, " You are looking at the new world record
striped bass. This is a slam dunk."
Haffner said that Bramlett's monster striper beat the current IGFA world
record by almost 2 pounds.

Record Striped Bass caught by Dora man on the Black Warrior RiverDORA, Alabama- James R. Bramlett, 65, landed a 70 pound striped bass from the Black Warrior River near the Gorgas Steam Plant Thursday February 28, 2013. The fish was weighed on certified scales and officials and a fisheries biologist with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources were at Bramlett's home today to make it official. The fish is 45.5 inches long and has a 37.75 inch girth. It tops the previous state record by 15 pounds that has stood since 1959. That fish was caught on the Tallapoosa River. The catch may become the new IGFA world record for a landlocked stripe bass. That record currently stands at 67pounds, 8 ounces. (Joe Songer/jsonger@al.com)

Parents and children wanted to see the fish up close as news
spread that the fish was at the post office. "It drew a crowd from the time
Jacky Scott pulled into the parking lot until he left with it. The whole thing
was exciting," Postmaster Burt said.

"When people first saw the fish, their jaws dropped" Haffner
said. "Many of them had never seen a fish of that size up close."

Fisheries biologist Heath Haley has been working to make
sure Bramlett's possible record becomes official on the state level and world
record level. Haley took the first
measurements and has worked with Bramlett and IGFA record coordinator Jack
Viteck to make sure accurate and transparent information about the fish is
available.

The next step in the process is to send all photos and
documentation about the fish, rod and reel used, and a section of the fishing
line to IGFA for certification of a world record. The record being pursued is
for a striped bass in the landlocked category.

Haffner and Haley both work as fisheries biologists in
district 3. Haffner joking calls it the "district of giants". Since March
2012, two state records have been shattered .

John Nichols shattered the Alabama blue
catfish record with a 120-pound, 4-ounce fish. Nichols, who lives in
Tuscaloosa, caught the behemoth from Holt Reservoir on March 9, 2012. The
previous state record was 111 pounds.

Now Bramlett has broken the state
record for striped bass by 15 pounds and probably will be awarded the IGFA
world record. Both fish were caught in
District 3.

To see the original story about James
Bramett's monster catch, follow this link.

Questions or comments? Contact me at jsonger@al.com or on Twitter @joesonger22.